Using Dye To Make Ink

[BrassRatt]

On 1/15/2023 at 6:20 AM, DiveDr said:

Thank you very much for the compliment!  Proscion dye, 1/8 tsp blue, 2/8 tsp orange, 5 drops glycerine, 5 drops photoflow in 20cc reverse osmosis water.

...

Thank you very much!  I'm inspired to try making some -- especially to evolve a "dry" or low-flow ink to suit my gusher Lamy2000.  Would simply reducing the Photo-Flo likely accomplish this? 

 

Earlier I think you mentioned pH control.  Seems that is not required for this formula.  Might it become more important with a more-saturated version? 

 

Thank you again! 

 

[DiveDr]

PH control is not needed for this particular mix. Yes reducing the photo flow will make it drier also you can add some propylene glycol or go up on vegetable glycerin.  Playing with glycerine and propylene glycol affects dry time, lubricity and shading.

[lisaswehla]

This is years later but I have a ton of Jacquard Products dye in the house.   Some MX (plant fibers) but a lot more Acid dye (silk and wool) colors.    

I am fascinated by the recipes here and about to buy Photo-Flo (shades of college photo labs) and Glycerine and try out the recipes here but QUESTION:   How about Acid dyes?    They aren't actually acid until you add the vinegar...

Has anyone tried and if so would love to know results of experiments ❤️    

How did the vintage pen tests go?   

:)

[grayautumnday]

On 5/5/2023 at 4:46 PM, lisaswehla said:

This is years later but I have a ton of Jacquard Products dye in the house.   Some MX (plant fibers) but a lot more Acid dye (silk and wool) colors.    

I am fascinated by the recipes here and about to buy Photo-Flo (shades of college photo labs) and Glycerine and try out the recipes here but QUESTION:   How about Acid dyes?    They aren't actually acid until you add the vinegar...

Has anyone tried and if so would love to know results of experiments ❤️    

How did the vintage pen tests go?   

The acid dyes would do well on animal skin parchment or leather, or "paper" made with silk fusion methods that haven't entirely made it unable to absorb water.

 

However, Procion MX and other fiber reactive dyes for use on cellulose fibers can be used in both alkaline and acidic contexts (they can be used on wool and silk along with acid, though they tend to break more easily into their component colors and they don't exhaust as acid protein dyes do.

 

on a related topic:

In addition to encouraging those interested to check out Paula Burch's amazing reference site (Q&A, archives of defunct dyer forums) for everything dye-related at www.pburch.net ...

 

I thought those who may not necessarily have a background in chemistry (like the background I lack, yet I dye and formulate often anyway and learn along the way!) may find this free primer on dye types, their construction, and their applications useful, courtesy of the USA National Institute of Health.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK385442/

[dj_setty]

On 1/15/2023 at 9:20 AM, DiveDr said:

Thank you very much for the compliment!  Proscion dye, 1/8 tsp blue, 2/8 tsp orange, 5 drops glycerine, 5 drops photoflow in 20cc reverse osmosis water.

A quick question on this recipe, would using distilled water affect this in any way?

[grayautumnday]

On 3/10/2019 at 12:06 PM, DiveDr said:

Thanks for sharing that, was most concerned about the pH being too acidic but that's not the case. Mixed up some fuchsia with turquoise and got kind of a muddy purple, not sure I like it but it's not terrible. The dye is listed as non-toxic, all the colors, so probably a neutral aniline salt. Honestly if this stuff does not gum up the works or cause corrosion (not likely considering the relatively benign pH) we may not be buying much ink, now if I can only get the stuff to shade nicely...

FR dyes are pre-metallized dyes - they do contain a modest amount of heavy metals and are highly reactive with substances such as aluminum. But as long as you dedicate nonreactive (stainless steel, silicons, most non-aluminum consumer plastic containers and utensils) **permanently** -- **forevermore** that container or utensil should NEVER be used to prepare/store/serve/consume food or beverages of any kind... then FR dye heavy metal and known toxin ingredients should be safe for use.

 

 Also, the use is designated as adequatle safe by regulatory agencies based on the assumption that users will be wearing chemical-resistant gloves, full sleeves, etc.

 

A few accidental drops or smears on the skin aren't so much an issue, but dyeing several batches a year or coming into contact with large quantities of *any* FP ink... except perhaps pigment inks, though I can near guarantee that there are several very toxic ingredients used to help hold pigments in suspension!

 

... but frequent skin contact with more than a quickly-washed-off drop or few of any ink (FP or otherwise) - say more than a few times a month, let alone the possibility of residue transfer to food prep surfaces -- or touching one's eyes nose or mouth with ink residue... all those exposures increase the likelihood of toxicity-induced diseases as well as pathogenic acquired genetic variations.

 

 There were a bunch of longstanding threads in dye communities about a subset of longtime professional dyers that didn't use adequate gloves/goggles/masks when pouring powdered dyes into liquids to make dyestock... their lack of protective gear and frequent liquid-skin/particle-mucus membrane-lung exposure caused several dyers to develop a specific type of bladder cancer - caught early but still metastasized rapidly and caused early deaths.

 

Reactive nonfood substances of any kind - dye, soap, lotion making, cleaning chemical mixing, painting etc - should all only ever come into contact with **permanently** never-in-contact-with-beverage-or-food-or-ingredients-thereof surfaces.